Taxi statistics back up case for change

An Auckland City
Council-conducted survey released last week showed that
Aucklanders have serious concerns about the driving
behaviour, street knowledge and in some cases the language
ability of taxi drivers.

The council’s Transport
Committee decides this week on how to handle rogue taxi
driver behaviour in the CBD.

“I appreciate public concerns
are about more than illegal parking and unsafe u-turns on
city streets,” said Councillor Greg McKeown, chairperson of
the Transport Committee. “Drivers not knowing where they are
going and driving badly raises safety concerns for
passengers. They are paying for a convenient door-to-door
service and deserve to get it.”

“We also appreciate that
any changes in the industry should carefully consider the
issues raised by drivers who are doing their best to support
their families,” said Councillor McKeown. “For this reason
we are committed to working with the taxi companies and the
Taxi Federation, as well as the Police and LTSA, to examine
the issues and implications of any new policy from an
all-round perspective.”

Last week several taxi companies
acknowledged safety and service issues but made it clear
that it was difficult to control service quality in the
industry when it was so easy to get a taxi licence. Several
taxi companies support the Council’s zero-tolerance approach
to bad driving behaviour, and are hoping that more can be
done about the issue of oversupply.

“Taxi operators are
clearly an important part of transport options in the city.
For instance, we ask folk who are planning a big night out
in town to take a bus or taxi, don’t we? So the issue is
that a reliable service should be provided.”

“I applaud
companies who have driver training and internal compliance
programmes and have developed systems to provide a higher
level of service to customers,” says Councillor McKeown.
“Something is clearly adrift when a $35 registration puts a
trained microbiologist in the driving seat when he doesn’t
really want to be there. My guess is that the paying public
would rather see an environment which supports professional
drivers and operating companies, with appropriate levels of
both service and price competition.”

The poll showed that
30 percent of the city’s residents have been affected by
taxis illegally double-parking next to full taxi
ranks.

The research indicates poor behaviour by taxi
drivers is having a significant impact on the public and of
those affected by bad parking behaviour, 60% say this is
happening in the central city.

The 12 – 14 July 2003
telephone survey of 300 city residents was commissioned as
part of information going to the council’s Transport
Committee on Wednesday, 6 August. The committee will
consider a report recommending ways to improve central city
taxi management.

The council is looking to develop a
safer and better taxi service for the public in the central
area by addressing issues like taxi rank overcrowding,
illegal double-parking and inappropriate driving behaviour
by taxi drivers. Traffic management research and the opinion
survey also indicate some ranks could be relocated and new
ones opened in a bid to make taxi-catching
safer.

Residents are concerned about catching a cab at
night: 35 percent of those interviewed are concerned at how
far they might have to walk to catch a taxi after
dark.

One option the Transport Committee will consider is
setting up new night-only ranks in key night life areas like
the Viaduct, Parnell and Karangahape Road.

According to
the poll, Aucklanders score the quality of their taxi
services at 60 out of 100, with 10% finding them
poor.

Only 12% think taxi services have got better in the
past few years. 25% think they’ve got worse.

Those who say
they’ve got worse cite these as the main reasons: too many
cabs (11%) drivers don’t speak English (17%) drivers don’t
know where to go (16%) too expensive (8%)

When all
respondents are asked what the main drawback of catching a
cab is at the moment, city residents say: too expensive
(49%) drivers don’t know where to go (35%) drivers don’t
speak English (31%)

However, 88% see taxis as an important
part of transport around Auckland.

The report to the
Transport Committee outlines options including zero
tolerance by parking officers for illegal parking by taxis
and reviewing the location, size and number of taxi ranks in
the CBD to reflect customers’ needs.

A further traffic
management consultant’s study of use of taxi ranks in the
CBD, conducted during the busy pre-Christmas period last
year, shows the average duration of stay on a rank by a taxi
was 50 minutes. Some stayed up to 135 minutes, with 30
percent of taxis leaving without passengers.

City officers
propose it is not the council’s job to provide an endless
supply of taxi ranks, but enough to ensure cabs are
available at conveniently located ranks whenever people want
to catch
one.

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